Give Us the Ballot

1957
We fight against oppression
We raise our voices to issue of the demolition
Four men step out of the shadows that do haunt white dreams
I hear them scream be scared
It's the S.C.L.C.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Created to harness moral authority
And organise the power of Black churches
To conduct non violent protests yeah yeah yeah yeah

We were inspired by the crusades of Billy Graham
The nation organises a group called in friendship
Prayer pilgrimage for freedom
Is the first time king speaks publicly he said
Give us the ballot and we
Will no longer have to worry
The federal government about our basic rights
Our basic rights

Give us the ballot and we
Will judges on the benches of the south
Who will do justly.
And love mercy
He gave this speech on the 17th of may
Give us the ballot
You hear him say, it's M.L.K.

A year later on September 20
King narrowly escapes death
When he was stabbed in the chest
With a letter opener
Izola Curry a mentally ill black woman
Thought that King was conspiring against her with communist
King underwent emergency surgery
And he was hospitalised for several weeks.
In '59 he published a short book

Called the Measure of a Man
Which contained a couple of his sermons
The sermons argued for mans need of God
And criticised the racism
Of Western civilisation
The S.C.L.C. is arguably
The most pivotal group in history
That King worked with